


Joint Custody

by virnnich



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M, No Negan, Two Dads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-06-03 06:26:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6600298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/virnnich/pseuds/virnnich
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The girl is looking back at both of them, not sure if these two can be trust. At least they are not going to eat her brain. The bigger one’s look is quite nasty. He seems terrified but she’s quite sure she is not a walker yet. The little one is looking back at her with his kind eyes. She has been hiding in here since she lost her parents. It might be three days ago. So when the little one offers her water and stale crackers, she has no hesitation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Joint Custody

**Author's Note:**

> I just want to do domestic and forget how cruel this show is.

It’s in the middle of summer, might be in July if there is any idiot left on earth has got some free time from smashing walker’s heads to count the days. It’s supposed to be Rick that waiting for him at the front gate of Alexandria. Instead, it’s that little shit standing in front of him with that smug face.

“Where’s Rick.”  
Jesus just snorts and shoots his signature annoying smile back.  
“I ain’t go on a run with you.” He insists and Daryl still can see the same annoying smile on his face.  
“He has other business to do. I’ll be the one go on a road trip with you.”  
Daryl squints his eyes for a second then looks away, doesn’t want to continue the conversation.

It has been a month after Negan’s death. Jesus has been helping the group a lot and coming to Alexandria often like it’s a farmer market (which is pretty accurate since they are trading stuff.) He is actually a good guy. The thing is, Daryl doesn’t like the look on his face. Especially when that prick is looking at him. Its annoyance reminds him of blowing red dust on an unpaved road that disturbs his vision. He can’t see through it.

After a while, they get into a resident area. Daryl expects to loot some of clothes for Denise, since the difficulty to find plus size things has been continue to the day that supremacy is at walkers. They clear out the location, randomly pick a house, get rid of dozen of walkers, then break into one. Then Daryl hears something from the kitchen. His finger is on his lips as a sign to be quiet. Jesus follows him there. The sound is coming from the cupboard. It may be an introvert walker that doesn’t want to leave their lair. But when Daryl pulls the doorknob he doesn’t sure how to react to this. There is a girl, might be running to hide in here after they broke in. She is blonde, has a messy ponytail and dark green eyes. All this time, they have been on a run for recruiting or whatever, he ends up with a 7-year-old child that looks just like Beth without a bullet through her head. A strong conviction to raise this girl suddenly comes across his mind but his body forgets how to move. Jesus sees that long pause and decides to take control of the situation. Since neither Daryl nor the girl seem to be able to talk, the inquiry can come later.

The girl is looking back at both of them, not sure if these two can be trust. At least they are not going to eat her brain. The bigger one’s look is quite nasty. He seems terrified but she’s quite sure she is not a walker yet. The little one is looking back at her with his kind eyes. She has been hiding in here since she lost her parents. It might be three days ago. So when the little one offers her water and stale crackers, she has no hesitation. 

On a way back to Alexandria, the girl falls asleep at the back of the car. Daryl is driving in silence. The sun is getting lower than the tip of the trees. Jesus is looking at Daryl’s somber profile. 

“You look just like you just saw a ghost.”  
“She might be one.”

They stay in silence for awhile until the view on the roadside changes into their neighbourhood.  
“The girl lives with me.” Daryl says without looking at Jesus.  
“I don’t wanna stop you from being daddy but have you asked her?” Surely he has not but Daryl wants to stop Jesus from talking.  
“No need. I found her.”  
“You mean ‘WE’ found her.”  
He turns his head from the road to give a serious look at Jesus and finds out he’s looking back with the same seriousness. So this little shit wants to be daddy too.

“What you gonna do? Let her stay with me for a day and you for another?” He barks back. Now Jesus is a real annoyance to him.

“Don’t you think that joint custody is confusing.” says Jesus. Now he starts to be amused by this.

The girl has been woken up long enough to get how this conversation goes. She thinks the guy names Daryl is funny, and Jesus is kind and his name is even funnier. She senses that there are weird familiarity between them. However, she doesn’t know what ‘joint custody’ is. Daryl is about to say something nasty back but the girl is faster.

“Can I stay with both of you, I mean, together. You are right. You both found me.”

There is a long pause while everyone is processing. Then the car stops. Jesus bursts out laughing in continuous for a minute and Daryl is in a complete stillness. 

It’s getting late when they are back at Alexandria. There is a broad introduction about the new member to Rick and few people. They go to the warehouse to get some clothes for this kid.

Daryl is trying to make himself busy, in order to ignore an inundate question of this whole thing. Out of nowhere, he involuntary says “She ain’t gonna stay with us that long.”

Jesus smiles back at him. His eyes are getting softer and less annoying than they used to be. “At least when she’s old enough to move out there will be no where to go unless stick with us until she has her own kids and we’ll becoming her children’s grandpas.”

Daryl almost stumble on the chair near him. There are a lot of things in his head right now, not all the messages from that sentence can be comprehended. 

Here comes the first ugly truth that strikes his bewildered head; this shit might sound ordinary in a few years ago, but this, it’s a fucking apocalypse day. Raising a child is more than just stuck together in the same house in a middle class village for years when there are hordes of walkers trying to eat people’s guts and the world is turning children’s gentle heart into a serial killer. The worst part is becoming one is reasonable.

This little shit just got some high hopes.

He knows it by his redneck heart, there is no guarantee this will last forever but he wants it so bad that he wants to give it a try. He’s ready to get hurt if things go south. 

He ignores the truth that Beth’s smiley face is only exist in his head, and allows himself to be vulnerable again.


End file.
